China's surprise high-altitude balloon over US and Canadian airspace has raised alarm bells across the US. Secretary of State Tony Blinken has cancelled a high-stakes Beijing trip intended to lower America-China tensions. While China claims the balloon to have been a "weather airship" that went off course, Pentagon sources have dismissed this explanation.

At minimum, the balloon has been gathering meteorological intelligence. However, its detection near U.S. military installations indicates it is likely part of a political warfare campaign China has been waging against the US and its allies. Americans must ask why Beijing is doing this, and what are the consequences of such an attack?

Particularly concerning is the reminder that the US homeland is vulnerable to attack. In World War II, Japan launched thousands of balloons armed with incendiary explosives over U.S. airspace, one of which was responsible for the deaths of an